Sound pick-up device



July 8, 1969 J. E. ROSE 3,454,703

SOUND PICK-UR DEVICE Filed Jan. .16, 1967 FIG.|

INVENTOR.

JACK EDWARD ROSE ATTORNEY.

United States Patent 3,454,703 SOUND PICK-UP DEVICE Jack Edward Rose, 640 Industrial Parkway, Apt. J114, Elkhart, Ind. 46514 Filed Jan. 16, 1967, Ser. No. 609,400 Int. Cl. Gh 3/00 US. Cl. 84-115 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE In recent years electronic pick-ups have been extensively used with the musical instruments of orchestras and bands, including flutes and piccolos, and it has often beendifi'icult to reproduce through an audio amplifier the' natural tones of the instruments, either as separate instruments or in harmony or blended with the other instruments of an ensemble. It has been particularly difficult to reproduce effectively and naturally the flute and piccolo sounds, since the areas in these instruments where the pick-ups can be placed are in the vicinity of the mouthpiece and hence the devices are likely to interfere with the players control of the instruments and/ or are not readily shifted to obtain effective pick-up and optimum reproduction. Aside from the difficulty of obtaining natural sound reproduction, the pick-up device and wires connected thereto often interfere with the players handling and control and balance of the instrument. It is therefore one of the principal objects of the invention to provide a sound pick-up for flutes and piccolos which not only effectively reproduces the natural instrument sounds but is inherently small, compact and light in weight, and is so positioned in the flute that it does not require a change in the normal manner of playing of the" instrument, and which has the wires attached thereto at a place where the player has complete freedom of movement without interference therefrom.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sound pick-up device for flutes, piccolos and similar instruments, which is constructed as an integral part of the instrument sound producing mechanism, which does not produce any distortion, and which is nonresonant and does not respond to any sounds other than those produced by the instrument.

Still another object is to provide a sound pick-up device of the aforesaid type which can readily be connected to various speaker systems or direct recording systerns, and which can be installed in the instrument without altering the structure of the component parts of the instrument, thus permitting the instrument to be returned to its original condition without a pick-up device.

A further object of the invention is to provide a sound pick-up device for flutes and piccolos, which permits the instrument to be used either with an audio amplifier system or as the original instrument as if no sound pick-up device had been installed thereon, and which is relatively simple in construction and easy to assemble on and remove from the instrument.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary view of a flute showing the present sound pick-up device assembled thereon;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged longitudinal cross-sectional view of the flute shown in FIGURE 1, the section being taken on line 2-2 of the latter figure;

FIGURE 3 is a view of one end of the flute shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, showing the present sound pick-up device installed thereon;

FIGURE 4 is a transverse, cross-sectional view of the flute and the sound pick-up device shown in the preceding figures, the section being taken on line 44 of FIG- URE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the flute .and sounnd pick-up device shown in the preceding figures, the section being taken on line 55 of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the flute,'the section being taken on line 6-6 of FIGURE 2.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, numeral 10 indicates generally a flute having the present sound pick-up device 12 assembled therein. The present device is adapted to be used on various makes of flutes and piccolos, and, on most makes, the sound pick-up device can be assembled without drilling, cutting or other changing of any of the parts of the original flute or piccolo, the device 12 being inserted in the end after the conventional end piece or plug has been removed therefrom. The flute shown in FIGURES 1 and 2 consists of a pipe 14 having holes 16 and a mouthpiece 18 mounted around blow hole 20 in upper end or head joint 22 of the flute.

The instrument 14 may be formed of metal, wood or plastic, and the mouthpiece is secured rigidly to the upper end. The pipe is normally tapered from left to right, as viewed in FIGURES 1 and 2, with the smallest diameter thereof being at the right-hand end of the pipe, which is normally closed by a suitable disc-shaped cap or plug secured in the end of the pipe by any suitable means. Most of the features on the flute are not critical order for the present sound pick-up device to be installed therein and operate effectively.

The present sound pick-up device includes a cylindrically shaped body 30, preferably of cork, having a center hole 32 therethrough. The body is mounted on a tubular stem 34 which extends fully through hole 32 and is joined to an end disc 36, preferably formed integrally therewith, and raving a center hole 38 communicating with hole 40 in tube 34. The tubular stem 34 is threaded along portion 42, and a disc-shaped member 44 is threaded onto the stem into firm engagement with the end of body 30. The disc-shaped member is preferably tightened firmly against the end of body 30 and holds it into firm engagement with the inner side of disc-shaped member 36 and forms a subassembly with the other members, consisting of the body 30, end disc 36, stem 34, and disc 44.

After this assembly, generally indicated by numeral 50, has been inserted in pipe 14 in substantially the position shown in FIGURE 2, cap 52 having an inwardly extending annular flange 54 and a center hole 56 with threaded sidewalls, is assembled on the end of tubular stem 42 and tightened, causing the cap 52 to seat firmly in the upper end of the pipe 14 with laterally extending annular flange 58 seating firmly against the end of the pipe. Since the pipe 14 is tapered from left to right as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, and since body 30 is substantially the same size as the inner diameter of the pipe after disc 44 has been tightened on stem 42, the assembly 50 is inserted from the left-hand end of pipe 14 and pushed to the right therein, until it is in substantially the position shown in FIGURE 2. Tightening of cap 52 causes assembly 50 to firmly grip the internal walls of pipe 14 and hold the assembly and cap 52 in place. Cap 52 is provided with an axial passage 60 which communicates through center hole 56 with passage 40 in tubular stem 34. Thus direct communication is provided from internal chamber 62 of pipe 14 to the outer end of cap 52.

Mounted on the outer end of cap 52 is a small microphone generally indicated by numeral 70, having a sound pick-up means 72 therein. The microphone has a rubber or plastic housing 74 with an internal groove 76 which slips over and embraces an external flange 78 at the outer periphery of cap 52'. The internal groove and the flange 76 and 78, respectively, form an effective means for releasably holding microphone 70 in place on cap 52 when the present sound pick-up device is being used. The microphone is connected into an audio amplifying speaker system by Wire 80.

In the use of the present device the conventional cap is removed from the flute or piccolo and assembly 50 is inserted from the lower end into the upper part of pipe 14. The cap is then threaded onto tube 42 and tightened in place, thus drawing assembly 50 firmly into the smaller tapered end of the pipe and seating the flange S8 of cap 52 firmly against the upper end of the pipe. The microphone is then mounted on the end of the cap with the flange and groove 76 and 78 interlocking to hold the microphone in place. In order to obtain optimum natural sound pick-up, it is preferable not to have tube 34 projecting beyond disc-shaped member 36 into chamber 62, since it has been found that this tends to distort or otherwise interfere with the natural sound of the instrument. If at any time the player wishes to play the flute without sound amplification, the microphone can easily be slipped from the end of cap 52, thus permitting the instrument to be used in the normal manner. With the present sound pick-up device positioned in the end of the instrument and the microphone mounted at the upper end rather than along the side thereof, interference from the wires is easily. avoided and the chamber 62 is left unobstructed by any inwardly extending protrusions from the sound pick-up structure or interference from added holes along the side wall thereof. It is seen from the foregoing description that the device can be mounted in the instrument without drilling, cutting or otherwise changing the parts forming the original instrument. The conventional cap, removed for the purpose of inserting the present device, can be easily re-assembled in the event the present device is removed from the instrument.

While only one embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail herein, various changes and body composed of resilient material and having an axial hole therethrough, a hollow stem extending through the hole in said body and having an end portion projecting from said body, a disc-shaped end member mounted on said stem and seating against the adjacent end of said body, a second disc-shaped end member joined to the other end of said stem and seating against the other end of said body, a cap secure to the end of said stem, a passage in said capconnected to the hole in'said stem and extending to the outside surface of the cap, and means for releasably attaching an electrical sound pick-up means to said cap adjacent the outside end of said passage.

2. A sound pick-up device for flutes and piccolos as defined in claim 1 in which the projecting portion of said stem is threaded and the first mentioned end member is threaded onto said stem projecting portion.

3. A sound pick-up device for flutes and piccolos as defined in claim 1 in which said stem is joined integrally with said second disc-shaped end member and the hole through said stern terminates at the outside surface of said second mentioned disc-shaped end member.

4. A sound pick-up device for flutes and piccolos as defined in claim 1 in which the passage in said cap is in alignment with said stem.

5. A sound pick-up device for'flutes and piccolos as defined in claim 1 in which said means for releasably attaching the electrical sound pick-up means consists of an interlocking flange and groove on the cap and sound pickup means.

6. A sound pick-up device for flutes and piccolos as defined in claim 2 in which said cap is threaded onto the end of the threaded projecting portion of said stem.

7. A sound pick-up device for flutes and piccolos as defined in claim 2 in which said stem is joined integrally with said second disc-shaped end member and the hole through said stem terminates at the outside surface of said second mentioned disc-shaped end member.

8. A sound pick-up device for flutes and piccolos as defined in claim 4 in which said stem is joined integrally with said second disc-shaped end member and the hole through said stem terminates at the outside surface of said second mentioned disc-shaped end member.

9. A sound pick-up device for flutes and piccolos as defined in claim 8 in which said means for releasably attaching the electrical sound pick-up means consists of an interlocking flange and groove on the cap and sound pick-up means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS ELI LIEBERMAN, Primary Examiner.

F. PRINCE BUTLER, Assistant Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R. 84--1.04, 1.14 

